Holiday Craft Fair 2016

Whoo hoo, it's that time of year again! :)

This is the fourth year I've done this craft show (2012, 2013, 2015) and by far, the best one!  I was so grateful for the nice weather outside to encourage folks to be out and about. Everyone that stopped by my table was so nice. Most of the comments I got were "OMG, so cuteee!" Ha ha. I recouped my table fee in the first 30 minutes and then $149 after that. Look at that, people DO still care about snail mail! :)  The other awesome thing is that I didn't really make that many cards to prepare for the craft fair; I had lots of inventory left over from last year. I will definitely have to restock to prepare for next year though!

The wind definitely picked up at the tail end of the craft fair, so I retreated back into my introvert bubble...complete with a bowl of ramen, a Harry Potter marathon on tv and kitty cuddles on the couch.

Holiday Craft Fair 2015

I took a break from doing craft fairs last year. While it's a lot of preparation up front, it's nice to interact with the other crafters and customers. I decided to do only one this year and that happened today. I made my table fee within the first hour (the most important part!) and made some extra money.

The lady next to me made chain mail jewelry. There was also a lady that crocheted dolls and another that made candles. I took a celebratory nap, and while I had plans to go to the mall afterwards, I ended up camped out on the couch, catching up on NCIS. The money will be there for another day.

2013 Holiday Craft Show #2

Today was my last craft fair of the season/year.  It didn't go quite as well as I would have hoped (my 2012 fair went better).  I was able to make up my table fee and make a little extra enough to cover lunch.  I'm not sure what was the reason behind the lack of customers, but it was so slow that I left around 2:30 PM, a half hour earlier than the 3 PM closing time.  I didn't think that it was worth waiting around.  I packed up my stuff and went to visit my cousins that were in the area.  Spending some one-on-one time with them was important to me because I didn't get to chat with them that much during the Thanksgiving dinner.

Julie came over for dinner (pizza) and we watched a few episodes of Modern Family.  She was having a crafty day herself...addressing holiday cards that she digitally drew and printed out and making a canvas photo holder.  Hers looks a lot better than mine, but that's because she made it as a gift for someone.

2013 Holiday Craft Show #1

Today was Holiday Craft Show #1 of 2013.  As always, my goal is to make up my table fee, which I did within the first 1.5 hours.  The extra money that I got will be helpful for when it's time to do some Christmas gift shopping.  The foot traffic was just so-so (and I should have had an inkling about this because I was there last year).  I think because the craft show is in an old house with stairs, it's difficult for people that have trouble walking to get to all the rooms in the house to check out all the crafters.

The lady that had the table next to me (she was selling jewelry) was making conversation and asked me if I do this full-time.  Um, no, I have a "real job."  I almost burst out laughing because it'd take a lot of folding to make enough cards to sell to do this full-time.  I felt kinda bad that I worded it like that because I found out later that doing jewelry was her full-time job.  I hope she understood that I wasn't saying that doing jewelry wasn't a legit full-time job.  I meant that I do this as a hobby and I do have a regular 9-to-5 job.

After wrapping up at the craft fair, I went to my parents' house.  I wanted to hang out with Julie, but she was at work!  When I left the house after dinner, she was still at work!  Sheesh, on a Saturday?  What a bummer. :( At least Ginger was there to hang out with me and watch tv.

Summer Craft Fair #3

Today's craft fair was a financial success in that I make some extra money after I made up my table fee.  However, there were some things that kinda annoyed me:

There was a blues festival that was happening at the same time diagonally from my table.  I thought this would be great because I thought I'd get more customers from the people coming to the concert.  Instead, many concert views stood right in front of my table, so anyone walking by had to go behind me.  I had to be assertive tell several people to not block my table, and while I want everyone to have a good time at the market, I don't think it's unreasonable to ask for some space.  The market coordinator had to come by a few times and ask that the concert viewers didn't block the vendors and one guy kinda got fresh with her.  Ok, jerk.

Some lady took 4 pieces of candy from my craft fair booth without making eye contact or saying thank you. AND, if that wasn't bad enough, the lady came back to ask if I brought other types of candy and took a few more pieces. o_0  WTH?! I kept watching her to see if she was on her way back to my table for a third time. Thankfully, she didn't, because I would have to put the brakes on that pronto. Some little girl asked if any of the stuff on my table was free (yes, the candy is free). Can I have one? (Sure.) Can I have another one for my sister? (Ok, sure. I figured she got points for sharing with a sibling). Can I have another one? (Eh, no, sorry, we're going to have to save the rest for other potential customers).

I said good-bye to the market coordinator when I got everything packed up.  She apologized for the blues festival getting in the way and I told her it was kinda out of her control.  She asked if I was coming back and I told her that I'd check my calendar.  Sitting out in the sun in the humid DC weather is never fun, but I'd be open to coming back in September or October.  We shall see!

Julie came by after dinner. I lured her in with the leftover Starburst candy I had from the craft fair.  I don't care that she takes more than 3 pieces of candy...unlike some people.

Summer Craft Fair #2

Summer Craft Fair #2: The good news was that the sun was out today, but the bad news is that it was windy.  I saw many tents flying around because they were not weighed down.  Us vendors cringed and tried to secure our items as much as possible so they wouldn't be gone with the wind, literally. 

I'm not one to eat fast food, but the daughter and husband of the vendor next to me went to Chick-Fil-A next door and the smell from their goodies was amazing.  I think the breezy weather was also luring me to get something warm to eat.  The yogurt that I had before I left the house just wasn't cutting it.  I zipped over and got a sausage/egg/cheese biscuit and some hash browns and that totally made my morning.  Fast food once in a while isn't so bad, right?

My co-worker and her kid stopped by to say hi.  While the kid was too shy in the beginning, she said bye to me and I felt like a winner.

One kid there was really annoying the vendors by touching everyone's stuff and running around.  Her father was definitely too busy socializing to pay attention to her.  She was swinging from a handrail, but little did she know that the handrail was broken.  She got mid-swing and then landed on her bottom as the handrail disconnected from the post.  You could tell she was shocked, rubbing her butt.  Poor kid.  She and her dad promptly went home.  I know several venders were cheering on the inside.

Another kid came by and asked if she could have a Starburst.  "Sure, it's free."  She came back 5 minutes later to ask for another, which I saw her give to her brother.  When she came the third time, I told her no because we had to save some for other people.  When I saw her the fourth time, it was because her brother brought the family over. There goes another Starburst. If this becomes a regular thing at the market, I might have to rethink this candy situation. 

Today's craft fair was surprisingly more financially successful than my first one of the summer, yay!  I felt like I could justify going to a nice dinner tonight at the nearby hibachi restaurant with a friend. 

Hibachi Dinner: I met up with Beth after the craft fair and we went to the CVS to check out their make up section to see what items they had from the NouveauCheap list.  I didn't get anything, but I did return the CoverGirl eyeshadow stick that I bought on Sunday still sealed.  The reviews that I saw online were terrible so it wasn't even worth trying.  Then we headed to the hibachi restaurant for dinner.  Because we got there around 4:30 PM, there wasn't really a crowd.  When we left, it was quite a different story.  I'm glad that they have good business, and after eating there, I can see why.  The food was amazing!  I got the shrimp and scallop hibachi, and that came with soup, salad, shrimp, veggies, noodles, and fried rice.  An insane amount of food.  I'm glad that I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.  I also got a lemon drop martini which was delicious.  After dinner, I went to another CVS (I do an update to my CVS clearance makeup haul tomorrow), stopped by my parents' house to visit and then went to my uncle/aunt's house on my way home.  I'm exhausted, but it was a great day! :D

Summer Craft Fair #1

Whew, early morning today!  Dad came to the house at 7:15 AM to help me pack the car and unload for my first summer craft fair.  I was a little nervous about the weather because showers were in the forecast.  Fortunately, the market coordinator put me under the permanent canopy and I didn't have to invest in a tent.  It worked out great since it did rain for a little bit in the morning, but my cards and I were safe under the shelter.  I had 3 co-workers and 1 friend come to visit me at my table which was nice. I was able to make half my table fee before the market even opened, so I was off to a strong start.  The farmer's market at the next block over helped bring people in.  I'm glad that I was able to reserve a spot on this day because my Mother's Day cards were very popular.  I was able to reuse the 3 dish platter (?) that I bought for the New Orleans exhibit booth: 2 spots for candy and 1 spot for my business cards.  The candy that I got were these Morph Starbursts, which change flavors (orange to orange strawberry and cherry to cherry lime).

A co-worker snapped this picture of me...look, customers! :)  He posted it on Facebook with a caption: "The best street vendor ever!" One of his Facebook friends commented: "Yeah right, you're not looking at anything at the venders, your freak ass looking at that Chinese lady."  My co-worker replied, "Thanks for insulting a very good friend of mine."  And promptly deleted the comment.  Seriously???  The comment definitely rubbed me the wrong way when I read it on my phone, but more than that, I was just saddened by the ignorance.  Not all Asian women are from China.  DUH.  This one was "Made in USA" (although my parents are from Taiwan).

Check out these Grand Pyranees dogs!  They looked like polar bears.  Everyone wanted to pet them.  They drew a crowd everywhere they walked.

I got a text message from my friend Laura while I was at the craft fair. She is in New Orleans with her husband, and they decided to take a tour of the city, using the same tour company that I did. She even got the same tour guide!  Glad my trip report helped someone out ;)

A Crafty Balance

I participated in a Valentine's Day theme craft fair on Sunday, but unfortunately, it didn't get very much traffic in terms of customers.  I wasn't sure if it was because this was the first time the event was held or there was a lot of advertising or what, but I only sold 4 cards.  It wasn't even enough to cover my $20 table fee.  Of course, I was disheartened, but at least I got my name out there with the vendors that were there. 

While Sunday wasn't a profitable event, I got an Etsy sale yesterday.  This woman bought 20 cards in one order!  I was so happy.  I think that might have set a personal record. 

My PayPal account is back to being happy again. :)

T-minus 1 month until the Bahamas cruise!!

2012 Craft Show #3 and a Good Etsy Day

Craft show: On Saturday, I did my 3rd and last craft show of the season.  I had been looking forward to it all season because I think it's my third time doing it (they didn't do one last year due to construction, but I'm glad they made a come back!).  The table fee is low, and the people that run it are always super nice.  I got a few people that said, "Oh, I bought cards from you last time.  I'm so glad that you came back!"  I was irked that there were some people that were selling things that came out of plastic bags.  I was suspicious that they were not handmade, but after further inspection, the crafts are handmade in another country (places in South America and Vietnam) and sold at the show.  Yes, that's handmade, but not handmade by the vendor.  Not the same...

Good Etsy Day: I woke up to a sale today.  The extra Stampin' Up sets that I got by accident at some crafty yard sales sold, so I made a little profit there and someone else can enjoy them.  Then I sold an elephant happy birthday card. AND THEN, I got a custom order for 10 origami dress cards from someone that I met at the 2nd craft show that I did season.  Whoo hoo.  The order's done, so now all we need to do is arrange for pick-up and payment.  Extra money in my pocket, woot!

2012 Craft Show #2

To me, craft show success is defined as a) making my table fee and b) making extra money.  Today's craft show was successful, yay!  I didn't take a picture of my set up because it's pretty much the same look every craft show.  I sat next to this lady that was selling suncatchers.  She got a really good position in the room because it was next to a window and the sunbeams were going through the crystals and projecting lots of rainbows on the wall.  It was definitely an eye-catching sight when you walked into the room, so I'm sure she made a lot of money today...

After the craft fair, I went to a couple of places in that neighborhood- Ross, Blockbuster, TJMaxx, Hobby Lobby, Marshalls, and Michaels.  I got some Moose Munch from Ross, even though I was eying their selection of EK Success punches.  I had to pry myself away from the display and tell myself that I didn't NEED more punches.  Then at Hobby Lobby, I got 2 sets of embossing folders (a total of 4 folders) and a package of Stickles because my Studio G glitter glue dried up and I threw them away.  I liked the Christmas stamps that were on display at Michaels, but I didn't NEED those either.  I might reconsider when they go on clearance after the New Year.

I am EXHAUSTED!!!

At least it was a good day.

Now to try to keep my eyes open so I can watch Jeremy Renner on Saturday Night Live...

2012 Craft Show #1

Today was my first craft show of the season.  I wasn't sure if I was even going to do one this year because vendor fees are so expensive and it takes me forever to just break even.  However, this opportunity popped up unexpectedly when a lady contacted me through Etsy.  She was looking for vendors for a school family event celebrating the St. John the Baptist School's 50th Anniversary Celebration.  The fee was going to be $75 or 10% of what I made to help defray the cost of the family events.  Oh, 10%, perfect.  That's an awesome deal. 

This was quite an impressive event: 3 horses were available for horseback riding, clown, 2 caricaturists, 3 food trucks (bbq, snowcones, cupcakes), face painting, rock climbing wall, bouncy castle, games, etc.  There weren't many vendors, but the crafts that were showcases were cool: magnet boards, hairbows, doll clothes that were replicas of the school's uniform, illuminated initial art (like in the bible), and jewelry.

Funny story #1: Several people asked me if I was a parent at the school.  Um, no, I'm not a parent.  After I thought about it, the question made sense since this event was being held at a school.

Funny story #2: A little boy with a $20 in his hand came up to me and bought a card. I was a little hesitant in selling him something because hello, where did you get that money?  "Do you know who you're going to give the card to?" "No, I just like buying stuff." Hah, honest answer.  I was putting away his money and writing a note to myself and when I looked up, he was back.  "My mom wants another one of those cards."  I points at a lady across the way.  Ah, his mom was the magnet board vendor.

I ended up making about $150 after handing in my vendor fee.  Not too bad for sitting at my table for 3 hours.  Some of the things that I thought wouldn't sell actually sold, so that was a pleasant surprise.  I was thankful that the weather held up, whew!

My night ended with Meg and Robyn coming over for girl time with pizza and The Avengers.

Craft Show #2

I am totally flabbergasted about how different today's craft show was from last week's craft show.

1. There were definitely fewer vendors at today's craft show, and we were spread between the front and back of the high school building. This was my third year in a row doing this show, and in previous years, there were definitely more vendors.
2. There were fewer shoppers at the craft show. I'm wondering if the attendance of vendors and shoppers was because of the change of date or people going Christmas shopping elsewhere.
3. I made more money at this 1-day craft show than at the 2-day craft show last weekend! People were more willing to buy more cards to get the discount, and no one made a stink about my prices. There was an older lady that came by and bought 4 cards and 8 fabric flower pins. She said that her husband had asked her to get some presents for the ladies in his book club, so I offered the fabric flower pins at a discount if she bought multiple ones. I wasn't about to let a sale walk away!
   
4. I think it also helped that Robyn split the table with me to sell her catnip mice. If I had to make up the table fee on my own, this would have been a different story, so I'm glad that we decided to share. The table was big enough that we each had enough room to show off our items. Also, it was nice to have the company.

I had some visitors come to this craft fair: Mom/Dad brought snacks, a co-worker came by to say hi, and Meg came by at the end to help us pack up and go to dinner. The original plan was to get Mexican food, but the restaurant hadn't opened up yet for dinner so we got Red, Hot & Blue instead, which I was totally fine with.

Today ends my 2011 craft show season. Thankfully, it ended on a profitable note ;)

Craft Show #1, Day 2

Craft show: Today was better than yesterday in that I was able to cover my table fee AND make a little extra money. Cristina, my friend from grad school, came by to visit my booth and her purchase helped put me in the black (as opposed to red). There were some new vendors today, to take the spots that Saturday-only vendors occupied. The treasure box lady that had the booth next to me was replaced by a woman who sold these beautiful colorful wreaths. I wish I made more money today because I would have definitely bought a wreath and some of the photography that was being sold. The grandma that bought 15 tags from me yesterday made another appearance. She was sporting the necklace that she purchased from another vendor and showed off yesterday. She was a cute lady.

I'm so glad that I stayed for the whole time because there was a lady that came by at the very last minute and bought 6 cards from me. Patience pays off I guess.

Books: Just so that I would have something to keep me occupied at the craft show, I brought The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks. I started it yesterday and finished it today, with about an hour left of the craft show. It was something that was already sitting on my bookshelf. I had read it before when I borrowed it from the library so I knew that it would be a good quick read.

RJ: One of my goals tonight was to wash my bedsheets because of all the cat hair that's accumulated over the course of two weeks. RJ obviously didn't mind taking a break on my bed, even though it was sans bedsheets. I honestly can't let the guy out of my sight. What a little terror.

Craft Show #1, Day 1

Craft show: I had my first one of the season today. I got many customers that said "Ohmigosh, that's so cute (::touch cards, pins, tags::)" and then walk off. Such a tease! However, there were some very nice customers. This one grandma almost cleaned out my origami ornaments, an item I don't get much business on usually. She wanted one origami shirt or dress ornament for each of her grandchildren, and since she took 15 ornaments, I'm assuming she has 15 grandchildren.

Nail polish: The crackle nail polish from Thanksgiving came off yesterday. I decided to do my first DIY French Manicure, using Kristina Werner's tutorial on YouTube as a reference. Tip of nails: Essie in Walk Down the Aisle (3 coats). Over top: OPI in Sweet Heart. I think it's a subtle French manicure, not like the ones you see on acrylic nails. Not too long after this picture was taken, the manicure got messed up because some parts were still not completely dry, so I took it all off. The 3 coats of the while tips might have had something to do with it. WAH.

Nail polish, take #2: I went out to dinner with a girl that I met at the dog wash event a few weeks ago and then afterwards, I went to Ulta with a coupon to check out nail polish on clearance. I cashed in on the Buy 2 Revlon, Get 1 Free deal and some clearance Sally Hansen Insta-Dri nail polish (5 bottles total). With the coupon, my total was $6.86. Mwah ha ha. I tried the French manicure again. Hopefully this'll stick this time around. I'm absolutely shocked that my right hand turned out better in tonight's manicure. Usually it's the left hand because I'm a righty. Tip of nails: Revlon in White On White (2 coats). Over top: OPI in Sweet Heart.

Unexpected Craft Fair Development

I am so bummed! I got a message today from the craft show organizer that the craft show that Robyn and I were going to be in on Saturday has been postponed. She didn't specify a reason, just said that it was beyond her control (ooook). Talk about telling us at the very last minute! I was kinda hoping to make some money this weekend, but oh well, at least there's more time to make more cards and load up on my Etsy shop.

I tried a new recipe for my slow cooker: chicken stroganoff. I made a few changes to the recipe by not using as much cream cheese and adding carrots, spinach, and green peas to it.

I'm all card-ed out tonight (as I made 20 origami Christmas tree cards this afternoon), so I'm going to camp out on the couch and watch Private Practice instead. Here's a picture of RJ for the time being.

2010 Fall-Winter Craft Fair #4 and #5

Whew, I survived! I survived a back-to-back craft fair weekend, one Saturday and one on Sunday. These two ended my craft show season on a good note. The fair on Saturday was a church event that I had done last year and had a good time despite the snow. It was really flattering to have people come up and say that they recognized my work, that they were happy to see me again, and that they wanted to buy more cards from me this year. The fair I did today was at one that I hadn't been to before. I heard it from Leslie of The Crooked Stamper, who was also a vendor at today's show. This was a juried show, but we both made it in because we sell very different types of cards. She focuses on stamped cards, whereas I pulled out all my origami card inventory. My stamped cards that I've blogged about were in a box on standby. Anyway, now I have some fun money in my pocket to buy fun crafty supplies. Maybe some clear stamps or fun paper? I dunno. I haven't decided. I know that Hero Arts's 2011 catalog is coming out soon. This could be dangerous, but at least I'm prepared!

I saw these neato carved soaps, pottery, and painted artwork at the show today. I included a picture of my space below.
Did anyone see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Pt. 1)? Of course you did! I'm only like a few weeks behind. Pish. I wanted to wait to see it with Meg and Robyn (Meg hooked us up with free tickets to see it last night, yay). OMG, it was so good. I almost cried. Almost.

Song of the day: "Bigger" - Backstreet Boys. Don't judge, mkay?

BLAH! Tomorrow's Monday. That's nuts. The end.

2010 Fall-Winter Craft Fair #3

Craft show #3 was a total bust. I guess it wasn't the right audience. I was very surprised to see how many "home businesses" were vendors there (Avon, Tastefully Simple, Pampered Chef, etc.), considering it was a "craft" show. I was expecting more homemade items. At least I made up my table fee. I have one more the first week of December and then another one in December that I'm still waiting to hear back on. There's still time to make this a good season!

When I was loading my car up to go home from the craft fair, I was surprised and happy to see that the weather outside was lovely! To burn off some of the frustration lingering from today's craft fair, I decided to gear up with my new knee length running tights and go for a 1.7 mile run. I hope the weather stays for a few days before the real cold settles in. It's been 2 week since I've been doing any sort of running, so it was nice to get the legs going today.

I decided to scrap the card that I made last night. I thought there was something wrong with the color combination when I looked at the card again tonight, and that sentiment was confirmed by my sister. At least I can use the sketch again for some other card. My goal was to complete the order for my co-worker. My personal favorite is the top right one.

Assignment: 3 different birthday cards. Status: complete.

Card Specs (top right):
Embossing powder: Personal Stamp Exchange in Detail Gold
Embossing ink: VersaMark
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Warm Red and Charcoal
Punch: We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper
Stamps: The Paper Company Studio- Greetings (sentiment), Fiskars- Asian Inspired (branches), Heidi Grace- Alphas, Reagan's Closet (flower), Fiskars- Friendship Garden (border)

Card Specs (bottom right):
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Warm Red, Tangerine, Yellow Ochre, Chestnut Roan, Prussian Blue, Deep Green
Punch: We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper
Stamps: Savvy Stamps (sentiment), Fiskars- Friendship Garden (flowers, butterfly, leaves), American Crafts (Magestic)
Paper: My Mind's Eye- Countdown to Christmas
Other: Brown Sharpie Ultra Fine Point marker

Card Specs (bottom left):
Embossing powder: Stampendous! in white
Embossing ink: VersaMark
Stamps: The Paper Company Studio- Greetings (sentiment)
Paper: American Crafts- Metropolitan
Punch: We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper
Flowers: Prima
Brad: Recollections- Silver Circles, Making Memories- Fresh Anthology
Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 8
Button: Favorite Findings in Pink

2010 Fall-Winter Craft Fair #2 + Fall-To Layout #116

My goal for today's craft fair (or any craft fair, really) is to make up the table fee. Anything extra will just go to fuel my crafty habit. I did make up my table fee, but I wish that there was more foot traffic. It was strong in the morning, but waned in the afternoon. Oh, well. I got a bunch of compliments. A few ladies said they remembered buying cards from me last year, which I thought was flattering. One lady said that my cards were underpriced (thanks, but I have enough trouble selling them as it is. Increasing the prices won't make them more appealing). I have another craft fair next weekend. The table fee was only $20, so that shouldn't be too difficult to make up. :D

I finished Charlie St. Cloud while I was sitting at my table at the craft fair. It was a pretty quick read. My sister recommended it to me. I texted her saying that it was a solid B or C+. She texted back "What about B-?" Ha ha. Right, I kinda skipped over that. I called my parents to bring another book with them (Baby Proof, borrowed from Meg) when they were heading over to the craft fair to visit me. I cranked through 100+ pages of it. :)

Besides making up my table fee, I accomplished another one of my goals today: getting to and from the craft fair driving my dad's car, since mine's in the shop. He has a newer version of the Honda Civic, which I'm not at all used to driving since it's bigger than my 2001 one. The newer one definitely goes VROOM.

I was so exhausted after the fair (I don't think that being semi-sick really helps the situation) that I zonked out while my parents went out to our favorite Italian restaurant with some of Dad's friends. Thank goodness for leftovers, otherwise, I would have considered mustering the energy to go.

I wanted to continue on my butterflies in Christmas theme, like I did for last week's Fall-To Layout. For this week's (#116), my initial idea was to feature ornaments like the sample card, but I didn't have any good punches for ornaments, but I did have a butterfly one. Ah-ha! The butterflies could become ornaments. Perfect!Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Warm Green, Blackbird. Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Peeled Paint, Antique Linen
Stamps: SEI- Winter Song (sentiment), Inkadinkado (butterfly)
Punch: Martha Stewart- Classic Butterfly
Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 8
Paper: My Mind's Eye- Countdown to Christmas (red polka dot, green)
Foam adhesive: Thermoweb
Embossing Folder: Cuttlebug (Swiss Dots)

2010 Fall-Winter Craft Fair #1

Yesterday, at the office, I handed over the candy to the HR director that I volunteered to buy for the upcoming office Halloween party. I had opened some of the bags to put in a jar for people to count up and win if they guessed the correct number of pieces of candy. "Tina, these bags are opened." "Ummm, yeah, I confess. I ate some of the candy and put some in the jar too." I'm a terrible liar, so I'm not going to even pretend that I didn't eat any. Candy companies-1. Tina's will power- 0. Dang it.

I had my first craft fair of the season today. It was at a small church in McLean, VA. The crowd was kinda small, but at least I made up my table fee and ~$40 after that. Meh, I'm considering this a warm-up for the larger shows later this year. I had a bunch of support- my parents, cousin Peggy, friend from undergrad Meg, and officemate Jennifer all came out to keep me company. Hooray! The plastic displays definitely made the table look more professional, so they were a very nice investment.

Interesting things that happened or that I saw:

a. Some guy brought his cuuute French bulldog into the craft show and was carrying it around. I was hoping he'd bring the dog over to my table so I could pet it, but alas, he did not.

b. There was a couple selling stones with words on them. A mom and her son was browsing. She said "Let's look for one that says 'try harder'. That'd be a good one for you." If I were the kid, I dunno if I'd be offended or encouraged. (pause) Scratch that. I'd be offended.

c. The woman that had the table next to me (we were the only tables on the stage) was selling wreaths. Super friendly lady. I'm glad that we were situated next to each other. She was selling her wreaths initially for $20 and then went down to $10 when she wasn't selling anything. Her goal was to get rid of them any way possible because she's planning to move back Colorado and hauling these wreaths there would have been annoying. She bought cards from me and when Mom/Dad and Jennifer came, they bought wreaths from her. Both of the wreaths had owls on them (Harry Potter, anyone?) Hooray for helping each other out!

d. There was a lady selling cat beds. You can see them in the center of the bottom left picture. I dunno any cat that solely sleeps in one place. Take my cat for example. She freakin' sleeps on the dining room table or my sister's pillow or the couch. I just don't think a cat bed is practical, but to each his own.

e. A woman came over to my booth and said "Hey, aren't you on Etsy?" Yep. "I thought your cards looked familiar. I have an Etsy shop too! My shop name is SudsNSuch." Ah, cool. A fellow Etsian. I took it to be a huge compliment that she recognized my stuff.

Today's card (see above) was the result of using some things that were already on my desk. The flower was made from a previous project and decided later not to use for the card. I used a label that I had a die cut for Thursday's card and it wasn't the right size for that card. I knew I'd find a use for these items eventually!

Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Olive Pastel, Maroon, Dark Moss, Chestnut Roan
Stamps: Fiskars- Petals From Scratch (all)
Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 8, Sizzix- Tim Holtz Alterations Tattered Flowers (flower)
Brad: American Crafts, Large Brads- Cherry
Punch: We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper

Since I made some money today at the craft fair, I promptly purchased some new ink pads from Joann's. The free shipping coupon and sales totally did me in. I can't wait for them to come in the mail!

Etsy CREST and CPS #189

I managed to get out of bed to get to spin class on Saturday. I was going to skip it to sleep in, but then I remembered that I have other commitments the next two weekends. Go me.

It was another crafty weekend. Well, not really card making crafty because I dropped the ball on that a little, but I did attend a crafty event: Etsy CREST. Fellow Etsians got together to do a craft fair. As much as I would have liked to be a vendor at the event, I decided not to because of the late vendor fee (I found out about it too late) and I am already committed to 4 craft shows this season. I had a great time walking around though! I chatted with thecrookedstamper, a lady that was in the same Jennifer McGuire class that I took a few months ago. We sat back-to-back during the class, so I didn't actually talk to her during the class, but I have been communicating with her through Twitter. Hooray for technology. I also chatted with Jennie from PurpleCloverArt about future crafty events. I bought cards from thecrookedstamper and a wristlet from Teeniebug. As you can see, the owls totally got my attention. My first event in next Saturday in NoVa.

Here are some pics from the event. The bottom right photo is of a doll house that was on display at the community center where the craft show was held. Such intricate work!

Meg and Robyn (friends from undergrad) came over for pizza and ice cream Saturday night and we chatted/laughed for a few hours. When they left to go home, my cheeks felt kinda sore from how much I laughed. It's great to have friends like that.

For today's card, I tackled CPS sketch #189. I decided to do another festive card and incorporate some ribbon. It just to happened that I had red, white, and green ribbon which went along great with the Christmas theme. For the background, I first reached for my Hero Arts Cling Dots stamp, but since I use it often, I decided to make my own background by stamping 2 present images over and over again.Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Chestnut Roan, Warm Red, Warm Green. VersaMagic chalk ink in Cloud White.
Stamps: The Paper Company Studio- Christmas Expressions (all)
Punch: We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper
Foam adhesive: Thermoweb
Ribbon: Sweet Petites from A.C. Moore